Singapore+-+Language+&+Bilingual+Policies

Done by Hoe Jia Wei and Isaac Lew

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 * __Contents__**:
 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) Case Studies
 * 3) Speak Mandarin Campaign
 * 4) Speak Good English Campaign
 * 5) Bi-Cultural Studies Programme
 * 6) Bibliography

//__Introduction__// Singapore is a multi-racial nation, which makes setting language policies different from other countries. After gaining independence, the Singapore government recognizes 4 official languages, namely English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil to try to build a multiracial and multilingual society that would be unified by a sense of a unique "Singaporean identity.". English was chosen as the main language to avoid conflicts between the races. English was also seen by the government as a need of the state to progress and globalise as it enable Singaporeans to work with people from all around the world. Thus, Englush was introduced into the curriculum in the 1960s. By 1968 English-language pupils outnumbered Chinese-language pupils 300,000 to 130,000. Even though English was introduced, students are still required to at least take another language(Chinese Mandarin, Tamil, Malay) as their mother tongue. And in 1979, the government banned all Chinese dialect programmes on radio and television.This was because Chinese were speaking dialects more often than Mandarin itself, and when speaking Mandarin, they were hestitant. The rationale was that speaking Standard Mandarin would enable Singapore Chinese to communicate with any Chinese in the world whereas using dialects would only allow Singaporeans to communicate with some Chinese. It was also mentioned that if a language was not used frequently enough 'language loss" will occur and that parents of Chinese families should speak as much Mandarin to their kids as possible. Further more,if one parent speaks in Mandarin and the other in English, the child will grow up speaking more English than Mandarin, so it is encouraged that parents speak Mandarin to their children. However, due to the country being multi-racial, a new language which could be considered a dialect of mixed languages evolved. The new language is Singlish. This is a problem so serious that the government sees it as a threat that could undermine that country's citizens' competetiveness in the global industry.

__//Case Studies//:__ __Speak Mandarin Campaign__ It was launched to promote a common mothertongue language and social cohesion within the Chinese community. Over the past three decades, the Speak Mandarin Campaign has succeeded in promoting the wider use of Mandarin, bringing the language to people through exciting events and activities. Its core objective remains the same today - to encourage Singaporeans to speak Mandarin in their daily lives, and to be effectively bilingual. This year, the Speak Mandarin Campaign unveils a new chapter as the Promote Mandarin Council turns its focus on encouraging and supporting Chinese Singaporeans and Permanent Residents to be effectively bilingual and bicultural. This will be done through a nationwide initiative that aims to deepen their appreciation of Chinese culture and grow their competency level in communicating in Mandarin.

__Speak Good English Campaign__ To encourage Singaporeans to speak grammatically correct English that is universally understood, the Speak Good English Movement (SGEM) works closely with its partners to run events and programmes and develop learning content. Working with different partners every year, SGEM have been successful in reaching out to Singaporeans from all walks of life. A wide range of workshops, seminars, contests and programmes all year round engages Singaporeans to improve their spoken English. To develop audio lessons, phrases and tips to help people of various ages and needs to improve their English, SGEM also work with partners such as The British Council, Society for Reading and Literacy (SRL) and Singapore Retailers Association. These lessons and tips are popular with readers, and SGEM is always on the lookout for partners to collaborate with to produce more learning content.

__Bi-Cultural Studies Programme__ To better engage an economically emergent China, Singapore needs a core group of students who are not only highly competent in Chinese, but also have a strong understanding of China’s history, culture and contemporary developments. To help these students develop a bicultural orientation so that they can understand and engage China, and relate to the West, MOE introduced a 4-year Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese). The Programme started in three schools in 2005 – Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls’ High School and Dunman High School. A Special Assistance Plan scholarship scheme was also introduced for highly able students in the Programme. Top scholars may qualify for the Overseas Merit Scholarship offered by the Public Service Commission to pursue undergraduate study in top universities, while others will be eligible for undergraduate scholarships offered by government bodies, government-linked companies or private companies with business interests in China. Students will also be able to offer electives such as Chinese history and Chinese philosophy in addition to the subject, Higher Chinese. They can also participate in overseas immersion programmes and enrichment programmes such as the Bicultural Studies Camp and Bicultural Studies Symposium, which will allow them to interact and share experiences among themselves and with the community.

Just for laughs... media type="youtube" key="FXETZ-HIQRE" height="344" width="425" The video by group 6 is generally good, but there are some parts where the audio and pictures do not match. The school is good in the developing of certain aspects of the students e.g. academic, culture, sports and the arts. But I do not see any efforts by the school to implement character development. Also at the end of the video, it was mentioned that students can learn more about social probelms through community work, I do not see the causal link though. Compulsory community work only destroys the casual link even more.

__Bibliography__
 * http://www.moe.gov.sg/about/yearbooks/2005/flexibility/new_bicultural_studies_prog.html
 * http://www.goodenglish.org.sg/2009/about/about-us/what-we-do/
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